ABOUT

Michael Lluberes is an award winning director, playwright and artistic leader. He was the founding producing artistic director of Flint Repertory Theatre from 2018-2024, where he oversaw all artistic programming and set the creative vision for Flint Rep. He specializes in developing and directing world premiere plays and musicals and bold new takes on theatrical classics.

 

Michael conceived and directed GODSPELL (IN A POOL) and the new LGBTQ+ version of THE FANTASTICKS, collaborating with original book writer and lyricist Tom Jones re-imagining the romantic leads as two young men. 

 

He conceived and directed FLINT MURAL PLAYS: 25 world premiere short audio plays, based on murals around the city of Flint from some of the most exciting playwrights writing theatre today including Mando Alvarado, Rebecca Gilman, Lauren Gunderson, Greg Kotis, Craig Lucas, Douglas Lyons, Eliana Pipes, Nandita Shenoy, Harrison David Rivers and Josh Wilder, among others. He created Flint Rep’s New Works Festival, an annual festival of staged readings which has developed over 30 new plays and musicals.

 

Directing credits include RAGTIME (Hangar Theatre), DEATH OF A SALESMAN starring Lewis J. Stadlen, ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST, INTO THE WOODS, ASSASSINS, THE GLASS MENAGERIE, Alex Moggridge’s THE BOATMAN (world premiere) an immersive THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE and SONGS ABOUT STUFF (Flint Rep).

 

As a writer, Michael penned book and lyrics for the critically acclaimed THE BOY IN THE BATHROOM (New York Musical Theatre Festival, NYMF Best New Musical and Best Book Awards, ASCAP/Disney Workshop). The show has been produced by theatres around the world and is licensed by Uproar Theatrics.

 

He also wrote PETER PAN: THE BOY WHO HATED MOTHERS (BroadwayWorld Los Angeles Theatre Award Best Play, LA Weekly Theater Award Nomination Best Production, The Blank Theatre, No Rules Theatre Company, Kennedy Center Page-to-Stage Festival) and book and lyrics for THE GERANIUM ON THE WINDOWSILL JUST DIED BUT TEACHER YOU WENT RIGHT ON (ASCAP Dreamworks Workshop, Lied Center for the Arts, Flint Youth Theatre). 

 

Michael has worked Off-Broadway, in national tours and at regional theatres across the country including The Acting Company, Ensemble Studio Theatre, The Old Globe, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, St. Louis Repertory Theatre, Hangar Theatre, Casa Mañana, Adirondack Theatre Festival, Capital Rep, Maltz Jupiter, Pioneer Theatre Company, Bloomington Playwrights Project, Chance Theater, The Festival of New American Musicals, among others. Television work includes “Chappelle’s Show”, “Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn” and “HBO’s Funny or Die Presents”.

 

He has produced the world premieres of James Anthony Tyler’s INTO THE SIDE OF A HILL, Gordon Leary and Julia Meniwald’s THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN, Nandita Shenoy’s THE FUTURE IS FEMALE, Karen Saari’s ‘RAIN ON FIRE, Josh Wilder’s WRONG RIVER, and the TYA puppet musical RIDDLE OF THE TRILOBITES which transferred to an Off-Broadway run at the New Victory Theatre. 

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Michael is the proud recipient of the ASCAP Foundation Harold Adamson Award, the American Harmony Prize, an NEA New Artist Initiative Award, Wilde Award for Best Director, Anna Sosenko Trust Award, National Alliance of Musical Theatre (NAMT) Innovation & Exploration Fund Award and the Jim Posante LGBTQ Community Pride Award.

 

Fellowships and residencies include The Tyrone Guthrie Centre, La Mama Umbria International Directors Symposium, Hambidge and Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. He is a graduate of The University of North Carolina School of the Arts, a member of The Acting Company, Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab, AEA, SDC, ASCAP and The Dramatists Guild.